San Francisco Chronicle - (Sunday)
The 15 best Bay Area restaurants of 2023
Newcomers include a rare ramen specialist and a New Orleans-style sandwich shop
I ate awfully well in 2023. I gravitated toward simplicity, affordability, fierce flavors and personal stories. Yet the restaurants I remembered most offered something hard to find elsewhere in the Bay Area.
I was overjoyed at spots that offered regional Indian cuisines. My mind kept wandering back to awesome sandwiches from a little red truck in Wine Country and a New Orleans-style sandwich shop in S.F. I fell hard for dreamy, hefty Japanese noodles in brothless ramen and Fukuoka-style udon. It was a thrill to see dry-aged fish masterfully utilized in fine dining.
Then there were trailblazers that brought something singular to their respective genres, from a showcase of the adaptability of the Mamak people to a smoky Tijuana-style taqueria that ushered in a new era of tacos in the city. My favorite restaurant of the year boldly recalibrated my conception of soul food.
Without further ado, these are the Bay Area’s 15 best new restaurants of 2023, in alphabetical order.
Aphotic
What really stands out about Aphotic is its steadfast commitment to the sea: Almost everything from opening bites to the entrees and even the ice cream features oceanic ingredients. There are two worthwhile routes at this moody fine dining restaurant in SoMa. The tasting menu ($165) is theatrical and full of surprises, but the a la carte bar options include some absolute bangers like a beautiful, lacquered fish collar ($65) — easily one of the best things I ate this year. Aphotic has earned a spot in San Francisco’s legacy of world-class seafood restaurants. The cherry on top is an exceptional drink program, utilizing distillates made in-house.
816 Folsom St., San Francisco. Reservations required for the tasting menu. 5:30-10 p.m. TuesdaySaturday. aphoticrestaurant.com
Azalina’s
Azalina’s, a compelling fine dining restaurant in San Francisco’s Tenderloin, is the latest effort by chef Azalina Eusope. Like Eusope’s now-shuttered restaurant Mahila, the menu honors the Mamak people, an ethnic group of Indian Muslims, and her family’s generations of street vendors in Malaysia. The four-course dinner runs for $100 and includes two beverages, or you can opt for a two-course version for $50. Eusope’s food is strikingly personal, especially clear in dishes like stir-fried turnip cakes and turmeric-infused noodles with shrimp that pay homage to her late father.
499 Ellis St., San Francisco. Reservations required for the tasting menu. 5-10 p.m. Thursday-Sunday. azalinas.com or 415-205-9284
Burdell
The world melts away at Burdell, chef Geoff Davis’ first restaurant in Oakland, thanks to its sunny hues, a vintage sound system with a soft crackle and a gallery wall of family photos. Better yet, it redefines soul food through a personal lens. I was especially floored by the chicken liver and waffle ($18), a genius deconstruction of the iconic pairing. I also dug the enchanting low-ABV cocktails ($16-$17) modeled after classics. Burdell takes me back to those big Sunday dinners with family, where food was the center of gravity. For that, and so much more, it’s my favorite restaurant of the year.
4640 Telegraph Ave., Oakland. Reservations highly recommended. 5-9 p.m. Wednesday-Sunday. burdelloakland.com
Copas
Before I even tried the food, I was intoxicated by the scent of charcoal at Copas. I knew the tacos were going to be good. Once a Spanish and Mexican concept, Copas transformed into a Tijuana-style taqueria this year. Cooking with live fire gives the Castro district restaurant an aromatic advantage over the competition, best experienced with the smoky, tender carne asada tacos (two for $15). Perhaps the wildest detail is the all-you-caneat taco deal ($29) — an unheard of value for San Francisco. Copas is upping the ante for the city’s taco game, and I am here for it.
2223 Market St., San Francisco. 3-9 p.m. Wednesday-Thursday, noon-9 p.m. Friday, 11 a.m.-9 p.m. Saturday and Sunday. copasonmarket.com
Copra
Copra in San Francisco’s Fillmore specializes in unforgettable South Indian cooking that places major emphasis on chiles and coconuts. Chef Srijith “Sri” Gopinathan, known for his popular Palo Alto restaurant Ettan, marries his personal upbringing in India’s southern states with fine dining precision. The chutney palette ($17) captures the restaurant well: nostalgic cooking with a punchy finesse. There are superb small plates like the rasam poori ($14) brightened with passion fruit and soft octopus ($18) dusted with spice, as well as bigger mains like melty hamachi collar ($42) in a decadent fish gravy. Copra also has some of the city’s most memorable desserts, like the brilliant coconut variation ($15), a masterful, icy display of the tropical fruit in its many forms.
1700 Fillmore St., San Francisco. Reservations highly recommended. 5-10 p.m. Tuesday-Sunday. coprarestaurant.com or 415873-0795.
Dalida
It wasn’t the powerful Eastern Mediterranean cooking nor the stunning Presidio location of Dalida that made me smitten. It was the tender love that radiated from the chefs. The blockbuster restaurant represents the return of former Noosh chef duo Laura and Sayat Ozyilmaz, whose Mexican and Mediterranean cultures are weaved together on the menu. The merger is best encapsulated in the moist tres leches cake ($12) topped with rose jam. But the most haunting dish is the cloud-like chubby pita ($18), plucked out of a hot oven and served with an assortment of dips and pickles.
101 Montgomery St., Suite 100, San Francisco. Reservations highly recommended. dalidasf.com or 415-237-1999
Egglicious India
On the surface, Egglicious sounds like a gimmicky restaurant, but it’s so much more than that. The casual San Jose restaurant is devoted to eggs, or the eggetarian cuisine of Western India. Eggs are boiled and stewed in a spicy gravy ($8.99); fried and topped with chutney ($7.99); or scrambled with a medley of vegetables ($11.99). Additionally, the restaurant excels at Indian Chinese food and chaat. You can find eggs at various Indian restaurants in the Bay Area, but Egglicious was the first dedicated Indian egg restaurant. I imagine we’ll start to see more emerge.
4996 Stevens Creek Blvd., San Jose. 11 a.m.-2 p.m., 5-10 p.m. Wednesday-Monday. eggliciousindia.com or 669-301-3801
Friends Only
Chef Ray Lee of Akiko’s fame opened an opulent lab for experimental dry-aged fish this year with a stunning, all-gas-nobreaks omakase ($325). This is easily some of the best sushi I’ve ever experienced — at once challenging, rewarding and utterly astonishing. Depending on the fish, aging it transforms its texture: giving it more bounce or encouraging meltiness. Dinner consists of a lengthy parade of nigiri interspersed with cooked plates like crab rice or a mindmelting uni hand roll. Friends Only is for food nerds to experience exhilarating, innovative Japanese cooking that’s fixated on what’s next.
1501 California St., San Francisco. Reservations required. 5:3011:30 p.m. Wednesday-Saturday.
Han Sang
Han Sang isn’t the first to offer galbijjim in the Bay Area, but it is the first in Millbrae, a quieter city that isn’t known for its dining scene. That means the line isn’t as long as competitors like Daeho, but it still supplies a similarly sumptuous product: spicy, succulent beef ribs ($75$80) stewed with chewy rice cakes and kimchi. The rest of the Korean fare is top-notch, too, including melty beef tartare ($18), juicy steamed dumplings ($13) and crisp jeon (pancake; $13).
420 Broadway, Millbrae. 11:30 a.m.-2:30 p.m., 4:30-9 p.m. daily. 650-419-6018 or hansang4u.com
Joella’s Deli
Napa food truck Joella’s Deli reignited my joy for spicy fried chicken with its fresh approach to the genre. Almost everything on the sparse menu is made inhouse by former French Laundry chef Ian Rosenstrauch. The main attraction here is the craggy fried chicken that’s stuffed into a top-notch sandwich ($18) or served as bite-size nuggets ($10). But what takes it over the edge is a spicy-sweet hot sauce made from multiple peppers and local honey.
2485 Stockton St., Napa. 2-8 p.m. Friday-Saturday, noon-6 p.m. Sunday. http://joellasdeli.com/ or 707-981-3965.
Kajiken
Kajiken in San Mateo is the first place in the Bay Area focused on aburasoba, a brothless ramen that has quickly become my preferred style. A lot of that has to do with Kajiken’s phenomenal noodles, which are made in-house — a process that can be seen if you’re seated in front of the noodle room. Those springy strings are topped with spicy minced pork and raw egg yolk ($16.50), sliced chashu pork ($14.50) or sesame sauce known as tantan ($14.50). The lack of broth really highlights the quality of the thick, chewy noodles, the better to absorb the various sauces and ingredients.
112 S. B St., San Mateo. 11 a.m.-2 p.m, 5-9 p.m. daily. kajikenusa.com
Katsuo + Kombu
Katsuo + Kombu has no equals in the udon space. Things are straight to the point: noodles are made in-house, the broth is vividly flavorful and the atmosphere is chill. The San Francisco counter-service restaurant specializes in Fukuoka-style hot or cold udon, both of which have their merits. On the hot front, the comforting niku ($18) has extra decadence coming from Wagyu beef, disseminating its potent essence to the thick, slippery noodles. Meanwhile, the cold presentation of the toriten bukkake ($16) results in slightly firmer noodles with more bounce. Katsuo has limited seating, so be prepared to wait during peak hours or order takeout.
559 Divisadero St., San Francisco. 4:30-9:30 p.m. Monday-Saturday. 415-829-3150.
Molti Amici
This was a great year for new Italian restaurants in the Bay Area, but the one I was most attracted to was Molti Amici in Healdsburg. The upscale spot is a team-up of SingleThread alum Jonny Barr and chefs Sean McGaughey and Melissa Yanc, the couple behind Quail & Condor bakery and sandwich favorite Troubadour. I loved how simple and approachable the food was, like the rich bucatini ($31) doused in savory, piquant amatriciana sauce and the indulgent ravioli ($35) stuffed with egg yolk. I often think about Yanc’s crackly focaccia ($13) served with whipped butter. Despite the fanciness of Wine Country, the vibe is relaxed with a soundtrack of throwback hip-hop tracks.
330 Healdsburg Ave., Healdsburg. 11 a.m.-8 p.m. Thursday, Sunday-Monday; 11 a.m.-9 p.m. Moltiamici.com or 707-756-3169.
Mama’s Boy
I went back to Mama’s Boy more times than I’m comfortable admitting. Pizza standards are high in the Bay Area but Mama’s Boy quickly leaped to the top of my list of the best New York-style shops. A large part of why it works so well is the marked crackle of the crust. The classic pepperoni ($4.50) has crisp, furled cups; the sausage ($5.50) is fragrant with fennel and briny capers; and the vegan cheese ($4.50) is better than the average. Every slice benefits from tangy tomato sauce and dappled undercarriages from a ripping hot oven. Whether you’re stopping by for a slice or a whole pie, the addition of this shop brings a much-needed pizza boost to Uptown, Oakland.
15 Grand Ave., Oakland. 11 a.m.-10 p.m. Sunday-Thursday, 11 a.m.-midnight Friday-Saturday. mamasboypizza.com or 510-4005404.
Sandy’s
No one does muffulettas in the Bay Area as well as Sandy’s, the once roving pop-up dedicated to the New Orleans sandwich that settled in S.F.’s Haight-Ashbury ’hood. The pocket-size shop has a slim menu of sandwiches and salads with just two choices: cold cuts or roasted mushrooms. It’s impossible to go wrong. The secret sauce of the sandwich is an olive spread that’s laced with cherry peppers, lending a briny kick. Occasionally, Sandy’s adds specials to the roster like a sour pickled egg salad stuffed with Zapp’s potato chips ($12) and a super savory pimento cheese spread ($8), making repeat visits a must.